Spanish FM: "Turkey promotes peace in the world"

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday met with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, who is on an official visit to Turkey. At a joint press conference afterwards, Babacan said that Turkey, along with Spain, initiated the Alliance of Civilizations and made it a UN project, adding, "The project has gotten a lot of international attention. The first Alliance of Civilizations Annual Forum was held in Madrid, and the second will be held next year in Istanbul." Touching on terrorism, Babacan stated that both Turkey and Spain have been terrorist targets, and that the two will cooperate on the issue. Speaking about Ankara's recent talks with the northern Iraqi regional administration, Babacan added, "Until recently, we had no contact with the administration in northern Iraq. In a major breakthrough, now we have established direct dialogue." Babacan also stressed the importance of Turkish, US, and Iraqi intelligence-sharing for fighting the terrorist PKK. For his part, Moratinos touted Turkey's recent election to a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, saying, "Turkey has scored key diplomatic achievements, and is a guarantor of peace in the world." Touching on Turkey's role in its region, he praised Ankara's mediation of peace talks between Israel and Syria. "Spain has always supported Turkey's EU membership, and it will continue to do," he added.